Sumibiyaki Arashi

With this understated 14-seat Mount Pleasant counter, Chef Pete Ho has ushered in a new gold standard of yakitori to Vancouver. The multicourse omakase spans dishes like red crab chawanmushi with yuzu, or crispy, delicately fried tofu accented with sweet soy, but the centerpiece of the menu is meticulously prepared skewers of chicken grilled over binchotan coals. Combining specially sourced heritage breed birds, skillful butchery, masterful seasoning (including with a special tare maintained over decades) and brilliant use of the grill, the results are uncomplicated yet profound. From impeccably cooked crisp-skinned breast and thigh to less conventional cuts like chicken “oysters” and heart, each piece is revelatory—no wonder it’s the most hotly in-demand reservation in town.

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